The Steering Committee will develop an operational plan for the Genomics Health Futures Mission.

I thank each of the 13 members of the Genomics Health Futures Mission Expert Advisory Committee for coming on board, under the leadership of Professor Ian Frazer AC.

Australia’s health and medical research sector is first class and the Genomics Health Future Mission will deliver better outcomes for patients.

Genomics is the foundation of precision medicine which means faster diagnosis and targeted treatment to improve health outcomes.

Funded through the Medical Research Future Fund, the Genomics Health Futures Mission will help Australians to live longer and better through genomics technology, which will enable practitioners to tailor treatment for each patient, monitor and manage risk, and potentially cure a wide range of diseases.

The Mission will help save or transform the lives of more than 200,000 Australians through research into better testing, diagnosis and treatment.

The first genomics project will be Mackenzie’s Mission, with $20 million being provided for a pre-conception screening trial for rare and debilitating birth disorders including Spinal Muscular Atrophy, Fragile X and Cystic Fibrosis.

Professor Ian Frazer AC CHAIR

Chair, Australian Medical Research Advisory Board

Deputy Vice-Chancellor, University of Queensland

Chair, Translational Research Institute Foundation Board

President, Australian Academy of Health and Medical Science

Member of the Commonwealth Science Council.

Professor Brendan Murphy CO-DEPUTY CHAIR

Chief Medical Officer

Australian Member on the International Agency for Research on Cancer Governing Committee and

Represents Australia at the World Health Assembly.

Professor Kathryn North AM CO-DEPUTY CHAIR

Lead, Australian Genomics Health Alliance

Director of the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute

Chair of NHMRC’s Research Committee

Vice Chair of the Global Alliance for Genomics and Health and Co-Chair of its Clinical Working Group.

Professor Warwick Anderson

Professor of History and previous (2012-17) ARC Laureate Fellow in the Department of History and the Center for Values, Ethics and the Law in Medicine, University of Sydney.

Associate Professor Christopher Barnett

Head, Paediatric and Reproductive Genetics Unit, SA Pathology

Former President, South Australian branch of the Perinatal Society of Australia and New Zealand (PSANZ).

Professor Christopher Goodnow

Soon to be appointed Executive Director, Garvan Institute of Medical Research

Former President, Australasian Society for Immunology.

Professor Emma Kowal

Professor of Anthropology at Deakin University

Previous Deputy Director of the National Centre for Indigenous Genomics at the Australian National University.

Ms Sue MacLeman

Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, MTPConnect.

Ms Anne McKenzie AM

Head of the WA Consumer and Community Health Research Network

Consumer representative for Consumers Health Forum of Australia.

Professor Keith McNeil

Chief Clinical Information Officer, Queensland Health

Was involved in the 100,000 Genomes Project in the UK prior to relocating to Australia

Former CEO at Cambridge University Hospitals, which led genomics for rare diseases.

Professor Dianne Nicol

Director of the Centre for Law and Genetics, University of Tasmania

Member, National Health and Medical Research Council Embryo Research Licensing Committee

Member, National Health and Medical Research Council Australian Health Ethics Committee

Member, Safe Harbor Task Team of the Global Alliance for Genomics and Health Regulatory and Ethics Working Group.